Ahmad Hardy rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns Saturday night as No. 20 Missouri pulled away from visiting Massachusetts in the second half for a 42-6 nonconference win in Columbia.
Hardy scored on runs of 5, 1 and 16 yards for the Tigers (5-0), which outgained the Minutemen 521-124 and gained 31 first downs to their 8. Quarterback Beau Pribula completed 26 of 29 passes for 241 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
AJ Hairston hit 11 of 31 attempts for 75 yards with a score and a pick for UMass (0-4), which managed just 19 yards on 16 rushes. The Minutemen have scored only 49 points this season, being held to 10 or fewer three times.
However, UMass was surprisingly competitive for a half after entering the game as 44 1/2-point underdogs. It took advantage of its one good scoring chance after Timmy Hinspeter’s 63-yard interception return to Missouri’s 21. Hairston cashed in with a 2-yard touchdown toss to Max Dowling, cutting Missouri’s edge to 7-6 with 4:31 left in the first quarter.
But the Tigers, who took the lead on Jamal Roberts’ 9-yard run at the 10:12 mark of the first, simply mixed Hardy’s runs with Pribula’s passes to keep the Minutemen off balance. Hardy’s 5-yard run with 35 seconds remaining in the first made it 14-6.
In the second quarter, Hardy powered in from the 1 with 4:45 on the clock, capping a 14-play drive that chewed up more than 7 1/2 minutes and putting Missouri ahead 21-6.
Hardy’s third touchdown, a 16-yard burst, came just 3:27 into the third and made it 28-6. Pribula tacked on a 9-yard scoring strike to Brett Norfleet with 56 seconds left in the period, two plays after Santana Banner intercepted Hairston and returned it to the 8.
Tavorus Jones finished the scoring on a 3-yard run with 13:09 left in the game.
UMass punter Keegan Andrews averaged 43.9 yards in 10 attempts, downing four kicks inside the 20.
